Can FIFA find a solution for the 2022 World Cup?

When Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup on the 2nd December 2010, it marked an exciting prospect for Qatar and football in the middle east.

Being selected ahead of nations such as the United States, Japan, Australia and South Korea, the decision signalled the first time that the middle east will host the World Cup.

It is further progression for a part of the world that is rapidly growing in wealth and international interest.

But despite the success of their bid to host the competition, it appears that the questions were left to be asked after they had been chosen, rather than before.

Ever since the decision was made, there have been doubts and issues raised with the choice of Qatar, ranging from homophobic issues, to whether the soaring temperatures of Qatar's summer would be too much for even the most elite of athletes.

The long-serving president has also appeared incapable of standing by an opinion as to when the World Cup can be held, whether it be standing by the summer schedule, or potentially undermining the European season by moving the competition to the winter, which has been met with mixed reviews.

The question is though; is there a solution that can suit all parties?

It goes without saying that conventionally the summer remains the choice of many, it stays within tradition and allows for the European football season to unfold without major schedule changes.

It remains in the best interest of the clubs to have the World Cup remain in the summer. The hosts Qatar are also seemingly leaning towards their World Cup occurring in the summer, standing by their idea of providing indoor, air-conditioned stadiums to ensure the safety of both players and spectators at the tournament.

The winter is also very much an option, some of Europe's biggest clubs have said that they would not be opposed to the move.

In the smooth running of the tournament, and less emphasis on player and spectator safety, and more on the tournament actually being focused on the action would appear the best option for all. But again it goes back to the problematic scheduling.

The competition would take place under time constraints, and would also see many against the idea. Perhaps the most vocal is Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, who has very publicly stated his disapproval of a move to a winter World Cup.

"[Qatar] is the right place, the Middle East is the right place," said Al-Thawadi to reporters.

"We are representing the Middle East, it is a Middle Eastern World Cup, so it is the right place. The Middle East deserves to host a major tournament."

Despite Al-Thawadi's belief that Qatar is the right place, all of the issues posed make you wonder what FIFA's thinking was when they awarded the competition to Qatar.

It goes without saying that staging the competition in the middle east would have both financial and fanatical benefits for FIFA. It would also not be the first World Cup in recent history that has had those casting doubts as to whether the tournament would run without incident.

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa was greeted with both excitement and doubt, quite like Qatar being the first in the middle east, South Africa was the first African based World Cup.

South Africa's biggest problem ended up being the roundness of the official tournament ball, so Qatar's problems, nine years prior to it beginning, does not make it a hopeless cause.

However, what is important for FIFA is that they show some assertiveness in the matter, it does not bode well for a tournament when the organisers are doubting their own decisions, and FIFA's doubts could very well create tensions with the Qatar hosts who may read their doubts as a lack of faith in the countries ability to stage a tournament that satisfies all.

What is for definite though, is that the 2022 World Cup will be staged in Qatar, it remains up to both the hosts and FIFA to find a solution to all of these doubts or far more scepticism in nearer years.

Time is on their side, but three years since the announcement was made, the problems are very clear and remain unsolved, the next nine years are huge for Qatar, both as hosts and their first appearance in the competition, issues need to be solved or they risk having a historical occasion for the country undermined.

DISCLAIMER: This article has been written by a member of the GiveMeSport Writing Academy and does not represent the views of GiveMeSport.com or SportsNewMedia. The views and opinions expressed are solely that of the author credited at the top of this article. GiveMeSport.com and SportsNewMedia do not take any responsibility for the content of its contributors.

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DISCLAIMER

This article has been written by a member of the GiveMeSport Writing Academy and does not represent the views of
GiveMeSport.com or SportsNewMedia. The views and opinions expressed are solely that of the author credited at the top of this article.
GiveMeSport.com and SportsNewMedia do not take any responsibility for the content of its contributors.

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